DNA sequencing moves from the research lab to the clinicThe Atlantic Share DNA sequencing is slowly making the anticipated move from the research lab into clinical use. After a few isolated reports where it was used to diagnose individual patients, now we see one of the first reports of it being used successfully on a larger scale, in 42 infants suspected of mitochondrial disease.More

Prostate cancer in ancient mummy tied to geneticsThe Associated Press via The Huffington Post Share A professor from American University in Cairo says discovery of prostate cancer in a 2,200-year-old mummy indicates the disease was caused by genetics, not environment. The genetics-environment question is key to understanding cancer.More

Genome cure for ill twins paves way to doctor's officeBloomberg News Share By the time their twins were 12 years old, Joe and Retta Beery had spent a decade trying to figure out what made their children so ill. Then a California company that makes DNA sequencers revealed the twins had been misdiagnosed and incompletely treated for more than a decade.More

Biotech/Diagnostics/Personalized Medicine

Gene test may aid early-stage lung cancer patientsSan Francisco Chronicle Share In a finding that could improve the survival odds for early-stage lung cancer patients, researchers have determined a new molecular test can predict more accurately than current diagnostic methods which tumors are more likely to be aggressive and turn deadly. The study results come from the two largest clinical trials ever conducted on the molecular genetics of lung cancer and included early-stage patients.More

Study: Pneumonia bug evolves to evade vaccineAFP via Google News Share Bugs that cause childhood pneumonia and meningitis have evolved to evade vaccines by swapping bits of their genome with other bacteria, according to a new study. The findings, published in Nature Genetics, show how quickly these life-threatening pathogens can disguise themselves with borrowed genetic decoys, and how hard it is for medicine to keep up.More

Regenerative Medicine

Skin transformed into brain cellsBBC News Share Skin cells have been converted directly into cells which develop into the main components of the brain, by California researchers. The experiment skipped the middle "stem cell" stage in the process. The researchers said they were "thrilled" at the potential medical uses. Far more tests are needed before the technique could be used on human skin.More

Military masks could 'give injured soldiers their faces back'Wired Share This is how the military might treat burned faces in 2017: A mask, worn for several months, that's layered with sensors, actuators and a regenerative elixir — including stem cells — to regrow missing facial tissue. An estimated 85 percent of recent wartime injuries caused damage to the extremities or face. Already, the Pentagon's made swift progress in using regenerative medicine to more effectively heal those wounds.More

Emerging Medical Technologies

'Electronic tattoo' moving out of sci-fi realmCNET via CBS News Share Researchers are making progress bridging the soft, wet world of the human body and electronics. The National Science Foundation released a video with the latest news from researchers trying to develop flexible electronics that can be placed on the skin or embedded in the body. The hope is these devices can be used to diagnose or provide care to patients.More

Hip-hop basslines could power implantable medical devicesPopular Science Share Your favorite hip-hop artist could save a life someday — or at least control a person's bladder — through the power of heavy bass beats, according to new research. Acoustic waves from rap music shudder through your body with ease, and can readily power a new implantable medical device. Researchers at Purdue University developed a small pressure sensor that can be implanted to monitor pressure.More

Managed Healthcare News

When health plans go high deductibleThe Washington Post Share As health costs rise, employers are increasingly turning to high-deductible health plans: Insurance coverage that usually pairs catastrophic coverage with a health savings account, leaving consumers to decide what to spend that account on. A new study from a team of Harvard researchers explores how health insurance plans with high deductibles affect the care that families do, and don't, seek.More

Lack of data regarding doctors leaving MedicareHealthcare Finance News Share Anecdotally, it is believed within the healthcare community that doctors are leaving Medicare in greater and greater numbers. A new report by the Office of Inspector General has found that there is not enough data available to make any determinations about this trend.More

FDA: New Treatments and Technology

FDA approves cystic fibrosis drugThe New York Times Share The first drug that treats an underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, rather than just the symptoms, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, more than 22 years after the gene responsible for the disease was first identified. The drug counters the effect of a specific mutation in the gene that accounts for 4 percent — or about 1,200 — cystic fibrosis cases in the United States.More

Pfizer to seek menopause drug approvalThe Wall Street Journal Share Pfizer is preparing to seek U.S. regulatory approval to sell a new menopause drug that could pose an alternative to the company's older hormone-replacement therapies, which have been tied to safety risks. However, repeated delays in developing the new drug, Aprela, have raised questions about its potential.More

FDA approves skin cancer drugThe Associated Press via USA Today Share Federal regulators approved a pill that treats the most common type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma. The pill is called Erivedge and is made by a unit of Swiss drugmaker Roche. Erivedge is intended to treat locally advanced cancer for patients who are not candidates for surgery or radiation, and for patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The capsule is taken once per day.More

FAST FACTS"Basal cell carcinoma affects up to 2 million Americans every year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation."

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